Erosion Flashcards
erosion
In earth science, erosion is the action of surface processes that removes soil, rock, or dissolved material from one location on the Earth’s crust, and then transport it away to another location
weathering
Weathering is the breaking down of rocks, soil, and minerals as well as wood and artificial materials through contact with the Earth’s atmosphere, waters, and biological organisms
water cycle
The water cycle, also known as the hydrological cycle or the hydrologic cycle, describes the continuous movement of water on, above and below the surface of the Earth
evaporation
Evaporation is a type of vaporization of a liquid that occurs from the surface of a liquid into a gaseous phase that is not saturated with the evaporating substance.
condensation
Condensation is the change of the physical state of matter from gas phase into liquid phase, and is the reverse of evaporation. The word most often refers to the water cycle
precipitation
In meteorology, precipitation is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls under gravity. The main forms of precipitation include drizzle, rain, sleet, snow, graupel and hail
percolation
Percolation theory is the study of an idealized random medium in two or more dimensions. The emphasis of this book is upon core mathematical material and the presentation of the shortest and most accessible proofs
runoff
Surface runoff is the flow of water that occurs when excess stormwater, meltwater, or other sources flows over the Earth’s surface.
tributary
A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean
watershed
an area or ridge of land that separates waters flowing to different rivers, basins, or seas
continental divide
The Continental Divide of the Americas is the principal, and largely mountainous, hydrological divide of the Americas
deposition
the action of deposing someone, especially a monarch
delta
a landform that forms from deposition of sediment
alluvial fan
An alluvial fan is a fan- or cone-shaped deposit of sediment crossed and built up by streams. If a fan is built up by debris flows it is properly called a debris cone or colluvial fan
floodplain
A floodplain or flood plain is an area of land adjacent to a stream or river which stretches from the banks of its channel to the base of the enclosing valley walls and which experiences flooding during periods of high discharge
water table
The water table is the upper surface of the zone of saturation. The zone of saturation is where the pores and fractures of the ground are saturated with water.
s.t.p.
Sewage treatment is the process of removing contaminants from wastewater, primarily from household sewage. Physical, chemical, and biological processes are used to remove contaminants and produce treated wastewater that is safer for the environment.
septic tank
a tank, typically underground, in which sewage is collected and allowed to decompose through bacterial activity before draining by means of a leaching field.
sea stacks
A stack or sea stack is a geological landform consisting of a steep and often vertical column or columns of rock in the sea near a coast, formed by wave erosion. Stacks are formed over time by wind and water, processes of coastal geomorphology
sea arches
A sea arch is a natural opening eroded out of a cliff face by marine processes. Some arches appear to have developed from surge channels, which are created by wave refraction causing the focussing of wave fronts on the side of a headland
sea caves
A sea cave, also known as a littoral cave, is a type of cave formed primarily by the wave action of the sea. The primary process involved is erosion.
wave-cut terraces
A wave-cut platform, coastal benches, or wave-cut benches is the narrow flat area often found at the base of a sea cliff or along the shoreline of a lake, bay, or sea that was created by the weathering of land
headlands
a narrow piece of land that projects from a coastline into the sea
beach
a pebbly or sandy shore, especially by the ocean between high- and low-water marks
glacier
glacier is a persistent body of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight; it forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries.
glacial drift
glaciers drifting
till
Till or glacial till is unsorted glacial sediment. Till is derived from the erosion and entrainment of material by the moving ice of a glacier. It is deposited some distance down-ice to form terminal, lateral, medial and ground moraines
stratified drift
Kame: a mound-like hill of ice-contact stratified drift. Kames are formed when sediments lodged in crevasses in or on the surface of stagnant ice are deposited when the ice melts away. Kettle: a round basin created by the melting of a block of ice buried within glacial drift
